Asda offers up an alternative to Tesco plans

DEVELOPERS behind a planned Asda store in Looe say the supermarket would deliver more benefits to the town than those of a rival Tesco store.

Broadley Park Properties have put forward their scheme for an Asda store on land off St Martin's Road.

The plans come just months after Tesco and Mercian Properties submitted an application to build a Tesco store in the town.

Mike Coles, managing director of Broadley Park Properties, said: "We are working on a competing scheme to Mercian and Tesco in Looe. We are a local, experienced commercial and retail developer and acknowledge the support shown by the majority for a supermarket.

"We also noted the expression of concern about the location of the Tesco proposal on a very busy cul-de-sac (Barbican Road) serving a population of 2,500 people and opposite a busy school access.

"We are therefore coming forward with an alternative scheme that addresses those concerns and delivers a significantly larger package of measures to help improve the town centre and provide community benefits."

The proposed Asda store would be served off the existing access at the Barratts' housing development off St Martin's Road and would be of a similar size to the plans drawn up for the Tesco site.

Cornwall councillor for West Looe Edwina Hannaford said: "If there is a live application it will have to be considered in the same circumstances as any other."

In a recent survey, residents raised concerns about the location of the proposed Tesco site. The same survey showed that 66 per cent of people voted in favour of a new supermarket being built.

Mrs Hannaford said: "People did have concerns about the Tesco application and I share those. The site is very close to the school and we want to be sure that the children and road users are safe.

"We want to be sure that we get the best deal and if a supermarket is built, that it is built in the right location."

Broadley Park Properties is hoping to arrange a public exhibition during the next few weeks.

The Tesco bid also included plans for 36 affordable homes, road improvements and a skatepark. A spokesman for Tesco said she was unable to comment on other supermarkets' actions at this stage.

Regarding the joint Tesco and Mercian bid, she said: "The application is in and we are waiting for a committee date some time in November."

Comments

This is a brilliant Idea! More jobs, and a store we can actually get to! Any other supermarket is far too far away. As a family we think this is a fantastic Idea and would shop there on a regular basis. Also, we prefer Asda to Tesco's as its better value and has a good clothing range. So no longer would we have to struggle getting a bus to plymouth, liskeard or bodmin which is an absolute nightmare with buses as they are. Get it built ASAP!

Tesco is a bad idea because of the way they always throw their weight around if they don't get their way, including price fixing to destroy local trade; but Asda which is now owned by Walmart is even worse, the Walton family (seriously they are the owners) closed one store in Canada because the workers went on strike and they get over $12 billion in tax breaks and subsidies while their employees around the US have to get government aide just because they cannot survive on the meager wages, very similair to what they are doing in the UK since they purchased Asda.